Holding and pressing device for collapsible tubes



Sept. 1950 c. El SEIFERTI 2,523,066

HOLDING AND PRESSING DEVICE FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBES Filed Jan. 27, 1948 Jzw/zfir whit? (135222 I Patented Sept. 19, 1950 OFFICE )1 HOLDING AND PRESSING DEVICE FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBES Charles E. Seifert, Swampscott, Mass. U Application January 27, 1948, Serial No. 4,494 7 {This invention relates to a device for holding a'tube of pasty material and for dispensing the contents thereof. For convenience, thecontents of the tube arev hereinafter referred to as toothpaste, but it is to be understood that the invention applies equally well to shaving soap paste, library paste, or any other material which can be conveniently kept in a collapsible tube and can be extruded therefrom as desired by pressure on the walls of the tube.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following description thereof and to the drawing, of

which- Figure 1 an isometric view of a device embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the same;

Figure 3'is an end elevationof the same;

Figure 4 is a section on line 44 of Figure 2 and Figure 5 is a side elevation of the device, a portion being broken away to show the interior.

The invention may be conveniently embodied in'a housing II] which may be made of any suitable material such as sheet metal stampings, a molded plastic such as a synthetic resin, or any othersuitable material. The housing is preferably provided with an outwardly extending flange l2 which may be integral with the bottom I4 of the housing. The flange I2 is perforated to receive screws l6 by which the device may be mounted on a vertical wall or other suitable support. The bottom I4 is also preferably provided with a horizontal, lateral extension l8 having suitable holes 20 therein to receive the handles of tooth-brushes which may be supported thereby. One end wall 22 of the housing is made with a central aperture 24 through which may be thrust the neck 26 of a collapsible tube 28. In order to grip the tube neck to prevent longitudinal retraction thereof, a clamping slide 30 may be mounted inside the end wall 22, this slide having an aperture 32 with a V portion adapted to be pressed against the neck 26 of a tube by a suitable sprin 34 which pressed against an extension 36 of the clamping slide 30. By pressing down on the extension 36, the slide can be depressed so as to free the neck of a tube gripped by the slide.

In addition to the clamping slide 30, a cap 38 may be screwed on the projecting neck 36 to assist in holding the tube against longitudinal displacement. Such cap is made with a suitable central hole 40 through which the contents of the tube may be extruded.

4 Claims. (Cl. 222-103) v The tube 28, when inserted in the housing] II, is

disposed between two press plates which are arranged in horizontal parallel planes, one over the other, within the housing. The upper plate 42 is engaged near its mid-point by a pushing member l4 which, as indicated in Figures 2, 4 and 5, may be in the form of a screw which is threaded through the top 46 of the housing [0. A knurled knob or disk 48 is mounted on the upper end of the screw 44 to facilitate its rotation. By rotation of the screw 44, the plate 42 is forceddown against the tube 28. The tube is supported by the lower plate 50 which is connected to the upper plate by a suitable linkage designed to move the plates in equal and opposite directions "when either plate is moved. Hence, when the upper plate is pressed down, the lower plateisraised by an equal amount so that the tube between the plates is maintained in a central position on a level with the aperture 24 in which the neck of the tube is held. As shown, the linkage connecting the plates consists of a series of links 52, two such links being mounted on each side wall of the housing to and pivoted thereto, as at 54. The

pivot points of each link are at the mid point thereof. Between the pivot and the respective ends of each link are longitudinal slots 56 in which ride pins 58. These pins project horizontally from the side edges of the plates 42 and 50. Since the pins 58 ride loosely in the slots 56, they do not necessarily maintain the plates 42 and 50 parallel to each other but permit a limited amount of relative inclination, as indicated in Figure 5. The knurled finger disk 48 is turned in accordance with the quantity of paste desired from the tube 28, and the tube walls are gradually pressed toward each other by the mutual approach of the plates 42 and 50 toward each other.

In order to facilitate the insertion of a fresh tube of paste, a stem 60 is attached to the lower plate 50, preferably at a point spaced a short distance to the left from the mid-point thereof, as indicated in Figure 2. This stem projects down through the bottom l4 of the housing and is provided with a nut 62 screw-threaded on the lower end thereof to support a spring which is compressed between the nut 62 and the bottom of the housing. The spring 64 thus pushes the bottom plate resiliently downward and, by means of the links 52, pushes the upper plate 42 upward, thus tending to maintain the plates separated as far as the screw 44 will permit. As a result of the offset of the stem 60 toward the left, that is, toward the discharge end of the housing, the downward thrust on the lower plate and the 1.1;

ward thrust on the upper plate are stronger at the left ends of the plates than at the right ends. Since the screw 44 engages the upper plate at or near its mid-point, the thrusts on the plates tend to tilt them, as shown in Figure 5, so that the tube is eventually flattened at its butt end before it is flattened at the nozzle end, which is desirable for expressing from the tube as much as possible of the contents thereof.

An end wall 70 may be included in the housing, this wall being preferably hinged, as at 12, to the top 46 of the housing. If the housing is of such light material as to require a stiffening element, a suitable stiffening plate 14 may be secured within the bottom [4 of the housing or elsewhere as desired.

It is evident that various modifications and changes may be made in the embodiment of the invention herein shown and described, without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

I I claim:'

1. A device of the class described comprising two presser plates arranged one over the other to receive a collapsible tube between them, a supporting frame, a pushing element mounted on said frame and manually operable to press the upper plate downward, linkage means mounted on said frame and connecting said plates, said means being actuated by movement of either of said plates up or down to move the other plate in the opposite direction, and spring-pressed meanstending to move one of said plates away from the other.

'2-.7A device of the class described comprising .a housing, a pair of plates arranged one over theother within said housing to receive a col- Iapsible tube between them, a manually operable pushing element bearing against the upper plate within the housing, and means connecting said plates and actuated by movement of either plate to .cause opposite movement of the other plate, said.,connecting means consisting of links pivotally mounted on the side walls of said housing, said links having pin-and-slot connections with the sides of said plates.

,3. AQdevice of the class described comprising a housing, a pair of plates arranged one over the other within said housing to receive between them a collapsible tube, means operatively connecting said plates to cause simultaneous move- 'ment of said plates in opposite directions when either plate is moved, said connecting means consisting of links pivoted at their mid-points to the side walls of said housing, each said link having longitudinally extending slots therein between its pivot and the ends thereof, and pins projecting from the side edges of said plates and riding in respective slots, a presser member mounted on the top of the housing and operable to press the upper plate downward, and means carried by said housing resiliently pressing said lower plate downward.

4. A device of the class described comprising a pair of presser plates arranged to receive a collapsible tube between them, a supporting frame, a pushing element mounted on said frame and manually operable to press one of said plates toward the other, connecting means supported by said frame and actuated by movement of either plate toward or away from the other to move the other plate in the opposite direction, and spring-pressed means exerting a downward force on the lower plate at a point offset from the center thereof toward the end adjacent to the mouth of the tube.

CHARLES E. SEIFERT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,212,138 Glasgow et al. Jan. 9, 1917 1,320,275 Roach Oct. 28, 1919 1,475,116 Harvey Nov. 20, 1923 1,507,464 Clegg Sept. 2, 1924 1,583,813 Thwaites Q May 11, 1926 1,776,137 Strouse Sept. 16, 1930 1,793,077 Frick Feb. 17, 1931 1,807,083 Bracey et a1. May 26, 1931 1,927,112 Cole Sept. 19, 1933 2,053,097 Cassanos et al Sept. 8, 1936 

